Hamid Shojaee is an entrepreneur and investor. He moved to Arizona from Iran when he was 10 years old, and has called Arizona his home ever since. Since he was 12 years old, Hamid was passionate about programming and wanted to one day be an entrepreneur like his parents. He absolutely achieved that goal and has started several successful businesses throughout his career. 

“By the end of high school, I knew I was going to do something in software for myself one day. So, I kept dabbling and putting out software products and putting them on the internet for free.”

In college, Hamid started his first software business with his roommate. After 5 years, he left his business to go work at Microsoft for a couple years. It was during those years that Hamid worked nights and weekends developing software for project management, which eventually turned into Axosoft. 

Axosoft is an organization that develops software to help companies with project management needs. In 2014, he left his position at Axosoft to become the CEO of Pure Chat, a company he had started during his time there. Hamid recently sold both Axosoft and Pure Chat last year in 2020. Since having two large exits last year, he and his wife decided they wanted to invest 10 million dollars into Arizona startups. 

What inspired you to invest 10 million into Arizona tech startups?

“When we decided to invest, I wanted to focus on making Arizona that much better, because Arizona has given so much to me.”

What is one thing you learned from your first software company that you applied to starting Axosoft? 

“The one major mistake we made in our first company was that we tried to do 4 or 5 different things right off the bat, and that was a huge mistake. Coming off of that, focus was a big lesson I had learned… As an entrepreneur, it’s hard not to pursue your ideas because you don’t just have one idea. You have lots of them.” 

What is the “30 days off” philosophy?

At Axosoft, “once a year, we would take 30 days off and do other things. We made that part of our system. Every year, we would take a month and dedicate it to all of us working on other products that have nothing to do with our business… Those side projects ended up creating two other products that they themselves became million dollar companies.”

Advice on starting a business:

“One of the discussions that I had recently was how important it is to accept that 90% of what you’re doing is probably a mistake. That is okay, because that 10% that works ends up making up for the 90% that doesn’t work.”

Additional Links:

Follow him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamidshojaee/

Learn more about AZ Disruptors https://azdisruptors.com/

Listen to Hamid’s AZ Tech Podcast https://aztechbeat.com/podcast/

Mike Spangenberg is the co-founder and CEO of State Forty Eight. The company was founded in 2013 and has evolved into being more than just an apparel line. State Forty Eight is about having community and pride in your state. Mike wanted to create a brand that anyone could feel stylish and comfortable in. 

Mike began his career in the hospitality industry. He spent 15 years in that industry and eventually worked his way up to becoming a general manager. Through his experience, he learned leadership skills and teamwork, as well as a passion for people. Mike says these are all things he took with him when laying the foundation and mission for State Forty Eight. 

“This is my passion in life. This is what I want to do forever if I can.” 

How has collaborations with other businesses affected State Forty Eight?

“Collaborations were never a part of the business model at the beginning... Now it’s a huge part of our business. It was almost half our revenue last year.” State Forty Eight offers collaborations with other businesses who want to have their brand represented with the SFE brand. This has led the company to new partnerships with the Arizona sports teams, which was always a dream for Mike. Companies can use these shirts for revenue generating opportunities, team representation, or marketing assets. 

What products do your customers gravitate towards most: 

“The first couple of years we just put our main logo on every color combination possible. It’s really our bread and butter” Having their main logo become an icon in the Arizona-themed apparel industry has really given them influence and remains a staple in most of their branded/collaborative products.  

What type of marketing do you guys do for the company?

The first 4-5 years of business, SFE’s marketing efforts were organic. Now, they have seen success through email automations, drip campaigns, and paid ads. Mike says they really didn’t focus on marketing at the beginning, but he wonders if it would have been really beneficial had they started sooner. They do their best to be on every social channel, in order to reach every type of customer. “We’re never complacent and we’re always saying ‘how do we get better and better?’”  

How did COVID affect your business?

“Thankfully, we had collaborations, online, wholesale, different license deals, and retail. All our eggs weren’t in one basket. We just made the best out of it, and 2020 ended up being our best year yet.” 

What is the State Forty Eight Foundation?

Mike recently started State Forty Eight Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the community in Arizona with a focus on youth and entrepreneurship. They started the foundation back in December and are very excited for the potential impact they hope to have on the community in the future. 

Additional Links:

State Forty Eight website and online store: https://statefortyeight.com/

Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikespank/?hl=en

Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-spangenberg-0ab69a165/

State Forty Eight Foundation: www.statefortyeightfoundation.org

Will Shaw is the CEO of Better Agency, an all-in-one insurance CRM platform. Growing up, Will had one focus: football. He spent the first part of his career playing in the NFL. After his time playing football professionally, he landed a job in the tech industry, where he was inspired to start his journey in entrepreneurship. 

Since his time at Infusionsoft, Will started several businesses all in the marketing and tech industry. In 2019, he founded Better Agency with four other founders, and has been the CEO of the company ever since. 

Will pitched the idea of the product to a room of 24 insurance agents before building the software. He put together a 3 page PDF of the idea, and 11 of the agents agreed to sign up for the software before it even existed. They didn’t pay much for marketing in the early months of the software, instead they built an affiliate relationship with someone with influence within the insurance industry. 

“We’re going to build a product for agents, by agents.”

Their goal for their customers using the platform: 

“We are dealing with true small businesses. Instead of being a CRM that takes your time and your money to set up. Can we be something you plug in and within 14 days you are making enough money to pay for the life of your application?”

Are there any routines or traits from your days in football that you carry into your role as CEO of Better Agency?

“Probably the biggest thing I got from playing football was being in a room of people who are committed to being the best at their craft. Any position on the team - you’re committed to being the best at your craft. It doesn’t matter what you do in life, if you’re committed to being the best - you can be the best and be successful doing it.”

A game-changing moment:

Will went to a couple of his current paying customers and asked if they would like to invest in the company. “Through our customers we raised 250,000 in about 30 days… This was the biggest validation.” 

Additional Links:

Check out Better Agency: https://betteragency.io/

Follow along with Will: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willshaw8/

Jake Shaefer is the CEO of Elevato, a new company serving all things web. The new brand encompasses several different brands that Jake and his business partner have acquired, in order to create one large conglomerate to serve all digital needs a business may have. From advanced website design and intelligent digital marketing campaigns to secure hosting and data warehousing, Elevato has digital experts at every level to help businesses grow. 

Jake got started in his career as a young account executive for a local radio station in the Midwest. His job was to secure new accounts, and that’s where he was able to learn business skills that have influenced his career today. In 2006, he started his own traditional media company. Since then, he’s sold that business, acquired established businesses, developed and sold an app, and is now creating a new brand called Elevato. 

Our conversation with Jake was really interesting, especially for business owners who have ever thought about acquiring a business or selling their own. We hope you enjoy the episode. Here are a few thoughts to summarize our conversation: 

When you purchased your first digital agency, was it well received by the employees at that agency?

“They received us very well. The leadership team that was there prior stayed, so my approach to it was to be very humble. I’m not here to change things. I’m not here to tell you a better way. I’m just going to observe and offer to help. My goal was to get in and be of assistance and add more than take away.” 

Has buying agencies been a game changing decision for you?

“I just learned along the way that we liked to buy momentum. There’s lots of great things that come with that. You buy into a book of business that’s stable if you know how to analyze it. You buy people, resources, which in our business - people are our business. They are our product. You buy expertise. You buy a shortcut past all of those long, tough mistakes that are made in business. You meet with the staff and you realize they already solved these problems 5 years ago and if I did this on my own, I’d be learning those things the hard way. It is my preference to buy my way past some of the toddler phases and get into a more mature business situation.”

How have you managed acquiring a team and getting them acclimated to the new culture?

1. Aligning them on the vision of the company and where we're going
2. The values - what are the handful of values or concepts that we can all rally around? 
3. Having good communication along the way

Biggest takeaway from implementing EOS in 2020: 

“We are going to lead this company on purpose. We’re not going to grow on accident. It’s going to be on purpose.”

What is the new company you’re starting?

Elevato is the name of the new brand and our vision and positioning statement is “All Things Web.” Anything under the digital umbrella that a business has to work with we can handle. 

What’s your long term goal?

“I want to do badass work. Work with people that I love working with. I want to have resources for everyone to make a ton of money, and I want to have fun. The only way for me to do that is to grow.” 

If you want to sell your business, here are a few tips: 

• Go find a buyer. Go think of the types of people that would potentially want to buy your business and call them. We have sold three businesses that way.
• Don’t treat your business like the typical small business. Keep your books super clean. Don’t use the business credit card on Netflix, childcare, or dry cleaning. Just keep it clean. 
• Work yourself out of the business. Once you’re gone, you’re going to be very hard to replace for the buyer. 
• Consider pulling yourself off payroll, just take distributions. This way you aren’t taking resources that could be used elsewhere. 

Additional Links: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-sheafer-51a67117/

Startup Weekend: https://www.techstars.com/communities/startup-weekend

He mentions the book Traction and the EOS system: 

https://www.eosworldwide.com/

During our conversation, Lawrence shares where his vision started with coffee and community. He talks about his future goals for the business and how he values his employees. If you are local to the Phoenix area, we highly recommend you visit Provision Coffee in Phoenix!

Where did the name PROVISION come from?

Lawrence found his passion between coffee and supporting third world countries. He says, “I wanted to use coffee to provide provision, which was healthcare, education, water, micro-financing, sustainability. All of the things that the definition of provision would provide for someone.” 

Why does PROVISION believe in paying their baristas higher than minimum wage?

“When you give somebody a livable wage in the state of Arizona, to own a home, to be able to provide for their family, to drive a car, and not be in debt, now they’re not stressed out. So when I take that off the table and give somebody security as an employee, they come to work and they are the best barista you’ve ever seen.” 

Advice for entrepreneurs:

“Relationships will definitely unlock growth, but I think that the key as an entrepreneur is you just have to do stuff. You just need to start doing it. The relationship might start something, but as soon as you say yes, that’s where the fuel comes from.”

Changing the paradigm of current culture:

“If we start focusing on other people as opposed to our own success, what happens is that people start showing up for you. The focus of this narcissistic culture that we live in is no longer narcissistic, it’s focused on serving on the least of these.”

Additional Links

Follow along with Lawrence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-jarvey-b5b99b76/

Check out Provision Coffee’s website: 

https://provisioncoffee.com/

During our conversation with Scott, he shares what fascinated him in the marketing industry, how he started, and what the future of his new company looks like. 

Scott’s intrigue in marketing:

“I got into the idea of ‘how do we create really cool experiences through content’ and evaluating not just the content but the overall customer journey that people would have while doing things online.”

The complexities of marketing for companies:

“There’s a million different ways that brands can communicate with customers. You can go online and you can tweet their CEO. You can send an email to the support people or get in touch with logistics. You can talk to people that are managing social media and marketing. You can really communicate in a number of different ways...and every part of that a customer experiences is incredibly important.”

What does marketing look like today: 

“The customer has so much control over what that [buying] experience looks like and the expectations are so high for how they want to participate with the brands that they’re working with that they need to have a great experience on all those touch points.”

What was a key decision you made when starting Lucid?

“I wanted the details to be right. When we were delivering things to clients, I wanted everything to be perfect down to the cent in every report every time. We made sure that we were really good with analytics and understanding it. I was very passionate about how to make this understandable.” 

Are there any channels or strategies that you’re really optimistic about right now?

“Instagram marketing is highly effective right now, particularly for e-commerce, direct sale, or direct lead generation. It’s very good, because they are a masterful platform at putting the right message in front of somebody in a time when they are engaged and thinking and looking at good content. For a number of reasons, it’s pretty effective comparatively to a lot of other channels. I think that will continue for quite a while.”

Follow along with Scott:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottkaufmann/

Learn more about Highnoon: https://www.highnoon.co/

Gabe Cooper is the CEO of Virtuous, a responsive nonprofit fundraising platform and CRM. Virtuous gives nonprofits the ability to activate new supporters, deepen existing partnerships, assist with marketing, and serves as a CRM all-in-one. Their company currently has a little over 30 employees and is continuing to grow. 

Gabe began his career in software development during the dot-com boom and later transitioned into working at a nonprofit leading their technical team. Since then, he has started three businesses: an agency, a golfing application, and now, Virtuous. 

His motivation for starting Virtuous and continuing work in the nonprofit sector:

“Giving your time, talent, money away is one of the most personal things you’ll ever do. Super close to your heart. If you have a family member that gets cancer, you’ll give to cancer research. If you adopt a pet, that pet becomes part of your family. The entire rest of the world - Amazon, Netflix, Strava, they are all hyper-personalized to me. They are giving me super personal experiences. My experiences when I give to a nonprofit are hyper-impersonal. That should not be the case in 2020.” 

What successful nonprofits are made of: 

1. They break down silos. Marketing teams talk to sales teams. They talk about what is going on between each area of the organization.
2. Listen more than they talk. Great nonprofits will listen to their donors and prioritize building relationships. 
3. They ruthlessly innovate. They are taking notes from startups and incorporating some of those innovative processes. 

Why they spent so much time developing their software before releasing it: 

“If we’re going to sell an enterprise solution as a system of record to nonprofits who depend on our software day in and day out, it can’t be half-baked.”

“I like the fail fast mentality: ‘Fail fast and iterate.’ What I like even better is not failing quite as much.”

His advice to anyone starting a business: 

“If you don't know the vertical or the domain, don’t start something there. Start something around what you know and care about deeply. It’s going to give you so much traction. I know you may think it’s boring or less sexy...Start with what you know, because it’s going to be so much more successful.”

Their greatest challenge:

“Our biggest challenge is attracting and retaining great talent and making sure our culture pushes through the whole organization in a meaningful way.”

Additional Links:

Learn more about Virtuous: https://www.virtuous.org/

Follow along with Gabe: https://twitter.com/virtuousgabe

Gabe mentions the book and methodology called The Lean Startup, you can check it out here: http://theleanstartup.com/

Another book mentioned is called What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz about creating company culture. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/What-You-Do-Who-Are-ebook/dp/B07NVN4QCM